FRIDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of eczema have a lower incidence of lung cancer, pointing to a role for altered immune function in the development of the cancer, according to a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Some previous studies have tied allergic conditions such as hay fever and asthma to a lower lung cancer risk, but most have failed to account for confounding by smoking habits. In the new study, researchers led by Marine Castaing of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, found that lower rates of smoking among eczema patients who may have high rates of asthma did not account for the reduced lung cancer risk.
People with a history of both eczema and asthma did have particularly low rates of lung cancer, but the protective effect was also seen in those with eczema alone.
The study included 2,854 patients with lung cancer and 3,116 controls recruited from seven countries between 1998 and 2001. Participants, three-quarters of whom were male, were interviewed about their lifestyle habits and history of eczema, asthma and several other diseases.
Overall, 5.5% of the cancer patients reported a history of eczema, as did 8.9% of the controls. After controlling for age, sex, study center and cumulative smoking, the researchers found that a history of eczema was associated with an odds ratio for lung cancer of 0.61. An inverse association between eczema and lung cancer was reported in all but one of the participating countries.
"Our results," the authors conclude, "provide support for the hypothesis that altered immune function in relation to atopic and allergic conditions, and to eczema in particular, plays a role in the etiology of lung cancer."
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